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So, I set off at 08.30 this morning to descend the Marple flight single-handed expecting a steady and solitary descent. I was very surprised to be greeted at that time of the morning by three cheerful v-lockies who asked if I would like their help, to which I was happy to accept (when single-handing I neither expect nor rely on any help). I was accompanied all the way down the flight of 16 by a friendly retired policeman called Jack, who is in his 70s, and we enjoyed a good natter all the way down. As much as I enjoy doing locks alone it was a pleasure to spend a few hours in his company. I take my hat off to people like Jack and his friends who do it just for the fun of it and I think make a great contribution to the waterways, expecting nothing in return. I've not met a v-locky yet who has been a problem, but then I'm always friendly and welcoming towards them which gets us off to the right start. Dangerous or inappropriate operation from them is, of course, unacceptable but I've yet to witness it.

Sorry Nick, but that is utter tripe. Yes, of course there is an expectation that the paddles will be opened.... Just as soon as the boat is in the best position for passage! Allow that the steerer will have a preferred way of transiting (ride the front gate, ride the back gate, hover in the middle). You or I may have firm views on which is right, but it isn't our call when it isn't our boat. We prefer to ride the front gate in tickover, so if the paddles are whipped up before we are settled, we get thrown about, and really the idea that you whip the paddles up and be prepared to drop them if there is a problem is just plain silly. Far better to avoid the problem in the first place.

Pretty loud, what with all that close harmony singing going on.

I don't care whether I am a nice person or not in the eyes of those who would interfere. The bottom line is that when I work my boat the way I want, everything works out OK. As soon as somebody starts meddling and doing things their way, it works less well. If you can't see that there is a need for somebody to be in charge, and for it to be clear who that is (rather than having two people believing that they are in charge, or nobody knowing that they are in charge), then your involvement in the operation of a lock is a risk. If my boat and family is involve, it becomes an unacceptable risk that I mitigate by ensuring that such individuals are not involved.

No Getting a decent solar installation will sort you out up to say mid October and then again from mid March. The vagaries of the English climate can move those dates in either direction. Decent batteries like Trojans are good for something like 1700 cycles down to 50% as long as they're charged correctly on a daily basis. If you occasionally only go down to 60% SoC then that 1700 might go up to 2000. So at worst they'll be good for about 5 years. Ignore the arguments

Well I think we've all satisfactorily clarified the OP's question.

How about giving some thought to the fact that a mooring is simply somewhere to leave a boat when it is not being used, instead of indulging in endless semantics on 'interpreting' the meaning of certain words in the relevant legislation ? An annual Licence entitles a boat owner to use their boat on any part of the waterways covered by that Licence throughout every day of the year, and unlike commercial vessels, pleasure boats don't necessarily have to be on the move to be in use - a fact that both you and C&RT seem to find convenient to ignore. Using a pleasure boat can entail a variety of activities, including inactivity, anything in fact that the owner finds pleasurable. It follows therefore that the owners of Licensed pleasure boats are perfectly entitled to enjoy their boats in any way they so choose, and over whatever travelling distance they choose. In demanding that boats 'cruise', ie move about, whilst away from their moorings, C&RT are effectively denying pleasure boaters enjoyment of some part of what they have paid for and are entitled to indulge in as and when they so choose. C&RT's stance on this matter is grounded in the ridiculous presumption that pleasure craft are not being 'used' unless they are underway on passage to another 'place'.

I think narrow boat owners should pay more if anyone should, they are the ones who habitually only use one gate on broad locks resulting in premature gate replacement. Keith

Dave you're quite right some boaters prefer not to have the assistance of the volunteer and as you can see they should always ask first. Nick I congratulate you, this is the first time I've been called sensitive and only reinforces my comment that you don't know me.

Hi Caitlin their are better batteries than Trojans though, the Gel tubular things now out have better cycles by a long way and they will be what I put on the new boat, even though I have had great life out of my full tractions. Do some internet research first before buying it always pays of in the long run

If you don't like looking at fat boats you can always stick to narrow canals.

Have seen a few folks chucking dog turds into the cut, which seems particularly disgusting.

Whilst I've enjoyed this thread enormously, I'm easily pleased. The original question was I believe a good one. It's good to get fresh eyes on a subject I did read the document you refer to a long time ago but, as with many things, parts of it are just forgotten and standards may slip a little. Obvious parts like oil and grease may be remembered but others not so much. So the value of this thread to me is in that I have just reread the document and have reminded myself of some of the no noes. So thanks to the OP for raising this and to the others for the fun. Have extracted the relevant part below Manage your waste Don’t pump oily water from your bilge into the waterway. Well-maintained engines shouldn’t leak oil. Check the drip tray under the engine and gearbox regularly. If it starts getting oily, find and mend the leak. Ideally use biodegradable oils. Avoid spilling petrol and diesel. If you do, mop it up – don’t use detergents. The toilets on your boat mustn’t discharge sewage into the waterway. There are pump-out facilities for chemical or closed toilet systems at marinas and sanitary stations. Use the minimum amount of chemicals to avoid upsetting the sewage treatment system. If you have a closed toilet system, you may not need to use chemicals at all – so check your manual. The wastewater from sinks, showers, washing machines and dishwashers is allowed to flow straight into the waterway. It can be very damaging to sensitive aquatic life. Most washing detergents contain phosphates which encourage rapid algal growth and eventual oxygen depletion when the algae die. This can cause fish and other aquatic life to suffocate. On top of this, the degreasers found in washing up liquids and soaps strip the natural oils from fish gills making it difficult for them to breathe. So to help keep the water as healthy as possible, put your cooking waste in the bin, and use phosphate-free detergents. Please don’t throw any waste overboard – even apple cores take a long time to rot. Litter can kill wildlife, and it can cause problems for other boaters by getting tangled in their propellers. There are plenty of waste disposal points at marinas and along the waterway.

Personally I think it looks dead boring but I can appreciate why some would find it appealing. I'm not much of a fan of Dartmoor for much the same reason.

Definitely not OK to dump your partner in the cut when they annoy you, even though it is not mentioned in the bye-laws.

I rwe recently saw someone leaning out the side hatch peeling carrots. I don't understand the mentality, people frequently mention shallow canals and lack of dredging. Where do they think their peelings will end up and how does that help with depth?

It might be worth checking that the gearbox is not slipping when is astern (reverse). I would try disconnecting the cable at the gearbox end and engaging locally.

I like the logic of your comments - I think I will adapt it to my cruising license - I will ask CRT to reduce my fees because although I am being charged at a rate that puts the whole network at my disposal, I cannot use it any way because the nature of my cruising lifestyle means that - although it is available to me - it is too far away to be of any practical for me to use it.

In REALITY there won't be enough elsan, water points along the route which will mean you will spend time hovering around those services...then dashing to a distant services point and hover around that.....All boaters spend as much time around the service points....it's just natural. Of course if CRT increased the number of services, then the number of boats on the system would spread out and there would be zero congestion...but then of course people wouldn't stay in marinas and CRT would lose the percentage they get from marina operators. Did I miss anything.

Well I know we're on the same side pretty much and yes of course there are bigger waterways where there's loads more space, I spend half my time on the Thames, but no I can say hand on heart that I've never had a problem meeting a boat of similar size coming the other way. I have met modern narrow boats on the Oxford when steering a large Northwich which have got into a panic at the sight of it's big stem post coming at them though. If boating was always easy I think I'd give it up out of boredom. Maybe not. Keith

I've put my tin hat on, as I know this will raise some hackles! Fact: Whenever I pass moored boats, I always slow down as a courtesy. My boat is not fast even on a good day - 13 BHP and some of those horses have probably escaped! However for an obsessive minority, however much you slow down, it's never enough. So you slow from 4mph to 2mph, they expect 1mph. You slow to 1mph, they still glower at you, and in some case yell or even swear at you because you are doing more than 1/2 mph. This can make passing long lines of moored boats (e.g. miles long on the GU approaching London) a very protracted affair. Or is it simply that they just resent any moving traffic on the canal disturbing their tranquillity, and expect it to be just like a watery suburban housing estate? Or is it mainly a perception caused by the engine noise? We've all seen these obsessive types, their boats are often festooned in signs saying "SLOW DOWN" and "PASS AT TICKOVER" , which itself is a nonsense, as tickover is so different between different engine types e.g. Russell Newbery versus modern buzzbox? Making their inability to secure their boat adequately into somehow becoming my problem seems a bit unreasonable. Perhaps if some people actually learned to tie their boats up correctly and securely, there might not be such an issue? If the rocking of your boat really does bother you so much, sell it and buy a house, they don't (usually!) rock with passing traffic! In the days of working boats there was none of this, there was a job to do, although in fairness there was probably little offside mooring then, and certainly no residential. I'd better get my coat!

Will not bite,Nick Norman might accuse me of being Sensitive?

As I recall the original post was about a volunteer lock keeper, volocky as some call them volcky as others call them, raising a paddle n Cranfleet lock without the say so of the helm. How that relates to the extended discussion on different locks and paddle raising techniques employed on the various designs of lock and their impact on boats of different lengths is a mystery to me, but I'll leave that for others to decide. I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm afraid I'm not a 'modern person', as you have seen fit to call me and to me the fact that you have resorted to a personal attack after one post and without knowing me to my mind shows a degree of intolerance on your part. I've not participated in the discussion because I had nothing to add but I was interested in the subject. However this soon waned when I found I was having to wade through all the extraneous stuff, hence my post. It possible that my view of volunteer lock keepers may be a bit biased as I am one myself. Therefore, I can quite categorically state that during training I was told to 1) Always ask the helm if they want assistance. 2) Always check with the helm if it's OK to raise paddles etc. Now I'm not saying that this always happens but I don't recall not following these steps. Of course I'm not saying that volunteer in question was guilty/not guilty but before people go flying off the handle and making all sorts of accusations maybe the facts should be known first. Was he distracted by something. a wasp or bee? Does he have any personal problems or some weighty thing on his mind? We all make mistakes and in my experience the ones who shout the loudest about other's errors are those who cannot take it when it is coming in their direction.

While pootling through Luddenden Foot on the C&H, a lady leaned out of an upper window of a 3storey canalside house and accused me of going too fast, I was "making a wash". I was going under 4mph, it's a 35 ft NB with .5m draught, outboard powered. Without stopping , I tried to educate her in the difference between a wash , a breaking wash and a wake. I didn't slow down, the house didn't move!

Tony, I usually read your stuff with reverence both here and in the magazine.........however, I very much doubt the two sentances you quoted. Dont be so presumtive. My batteries lasted 5 years+ with no problems whatsoever - and it was not frugal use - you (a general you) cannot and we cannot do frugal use living aboard. The cabling was all fine. If I was mislead and the SoC was 80% not 100% when charged then the batteries would have died long ago. If my batttery and charging knowledge was suspect then again they would have died long ago. The only potential weakness was the brand new Volvo alternator which was only 70A but was matched OK to the size of the battery bank. Finally I do take offence in the comment posted above. That sentance suggests that I had a problem with my charging/batteries. I did not. They lasted 5 years plus on a brand new boat and performance was better with the Sterling unit. If there was a system defect with the original layout - ie the alternator, then the problem was certianly cured with the AtoB. Hence the AtoB was certainly worth buying. Interesting that ALL those throwing bricks at the Sterling unit HAVE NEVER USED ONE (and maybe never even seen one). Looking after batteries is not Rocket science but you seem to be making that way. A bit of common sense and it is easy with the right tools.

Hi Caitlin, I just noticed that I made a typo in my original post; it should have been T105's not T150's, they are 4+ years old now and seem to be holding out fine. We have not been on shore power at all now, for the past 4 years. And not to be misleading, we run the engine when using the washing machine regardless of what time of year it is, or how sunny a day. It's a Candy slimline 7k load capacity. & as someone has kindly point out already, we are not considered experienced boaters as we have only been living off grid for a little over 4 years now - mind you we live the life style that suits us & haven't had the need to replace our battery bank yet. So I guess we are either doing something right OR have been just really lucky. btw - Tony Brooks and WotEver, both know what they are talking about when it comes to battery management. Tony at one point gave classes on the subject along with loads of other mechanical issues, and engine maintenance. A wise person would not ignor advice from Tony. I remember how hard it is to figure out who gives sound advice around here from those who simply feel the desire to type something, when your new and it takes some time to figure out the wheat from the chaf. Another who gives sound advice and is in the trade is Richard (RWLP) not sure if I have those letters in the correct order or not, but you'll soon catch on. Good luck B~

My tuppence worth :-) Re waiting for a signal form the skipper. When I am working the lock for our own boat, I don't need to wait for the signal as we have been locking for so long together that I know at what point to start opening paddles. However, if I am working a lock for anyone else, I don't start opening the paddle till I make contact with the skipper, no matter how long it takes! The reason for this is that it is up to the skipper how he wants to position his boat and when he is ready for the paddles to go up . By making contact, I can also glean the information about whether he wants half apaddle to start or right up. It is his boat after all, and it would be presumtiopus of me to dictate how he wants the lock operated. Having said that, he will never get the "one click at a time" treatment :-) Haggis

Sterling make a very precise-sounding claim though, which others here claim to understand but cannot explain.

Lump me in with Alan then. It is selfish, greedy, inconsiderate boaters like her, breaking the law and expecting others to pick up after her that cause many of the problems and generate 'rules' and 'T&Cs' that impact on others who follow the rules themselves.

A good place to leave it or else some may think the thread is being hijacked by two idiots.

Why shouldn't they charge more? You are taking up more water space....same goes for licenses too.....have you tried phoning up for a mythical temporary mooring.....???

If I could go where I go in my narrowboat I would have a wide beam tomorrow then again if I could afford one I would have one today. I still can not get use to being looked at by other narrowboaters as if I should not be there on the same canal as them I put them in the idiot bracket they now who they are probably the same people who look down on the widebeams

I've done plenty of inland waterways boating on my widebeam - more than most narrowboat owners I talk to. Disagree with you there Julian. I can moor my boat in lots of places where you just couldn't get a deeper draft barge. My boat has done lots of things very well.

Wow...i seemed to inadvertently upset a few people. Let me try and put this in as few words as possible... First and foremost whether it suits some of you or not ...i derived sufficient information from your initial responses to verify my original problem. Eg worn out batteries. After that i recieved a whole raft of information which was over and above my capabilites. Admittedly i could invest time in learning about such things to increase my knowledge but unfortunatly for all sorts of reasons that i wont go into , i dont have the spare time or desire. Hence another aspect that seems to offend some is that i choose to pay someone to look after such things. I find it hard to believe and even a little arrogant that from some of your comments that you've never been in a situation where , outside of your comfort zone or area of expertease, you might have asked for an opinion or advice and the subsequent advice recieved takes you out 'out of your depth'? A medical diagnosis would be a good example... You response therefore might be....best left to someone more knowledgeable and qualified rather than attempting to sort this myself. Can you not see the similarity? So yes once again i thank you for taking the time and interest and am remain respectfull of the knowledge some of you have. However i dont think its fair to be beaten up on here simply because i dont have enough spare time nor the desire to become an expert in narrowboat batteries. Thanks you once again for providing the answer to my original post.

Come on peoples be sensible im no battery expert but i know a fair amount. The original post i responded to illuded to me not knowing anything. As per battery memory the old style wet batterys have plates with protective sleeves seperating them with the acid placed on usualy a mesh grid this acid if not maintained ie water levels monitored or charged fairly soon after discharge or left in a discharge state this can fall off and theirfore u get a form of charge failure known to ME as memory. I have had campervans i had fitted out with batterys and smart charge systems so did alot of homework on batterys such as discharge levels ie 50% or 12.4v ish battery types and internal make up off a battery so lets not get stupid and jump on the back of my broad statement saying i fully understand batterys and charging as it was directed at a base knowledge level that the gentleman illuded to on a topic not linked to this thread. Lighten up people.......

Oi, I got it too!

Some years ago on the Wey, in the middle of the day we passed, at what I thought was a suitably slow speed, a boat moored loosely to pins in the towpath. But as we passed it, first the stern, then the bow of the boat drifted out from the bank towards us, dragging ropes and pins in the water. Then HE emerged from the back doors, still pulling his clothes on, while SHE came out of the front doors doing the same. I guess they were in too much of a hurry to tie up properly!

Commiserations.

Talking of rubbish tying up. Too many years ago to admit to, I was genuinely on tick over passing through Shardlow, there were boats tied up everywhere. It was a Saturday and Manchester Rovers were playing Chelsea United or some such event. A small plastic boat with half a dozen blokes crammed in the cabin were shouting enthusiastically at a large screen TV inches from their faces. Everything being powered by a very large generator thundering away on the towpath just about sets the scene. It happened in seconds, and I can only imagine it was the combination of slack lines and a tight chain between the boat and the generator.

Maybe it's traditional

Slow down to what you consider is a reasonable speed bearing in mind all the circumstances. If someone jumps out screaming "SLOW DOWN" just shout back at them "Tie your boat up properly" and carry on. I find that many of the boats that pass us rather fast when we are moored, are festooned with those "SLOW DOWN", "PASS AT TICKOVER" signs. Obviously such a policy only applies to other people, not to themselves.

I used to override the door switch of a microwave oven and radiate the whole hull with microwave energy, no need for blacking or anodes. keeps the steel absolutely pristine... Joking just in case someone tries it!